Bleeding And Spotting During Pregnancy: What's Normal, What's Not

Ever since the time when a girl becomes a woman, bleeding and spotting are an important aspect of her life. No matter how irritating and annoying periods are, the fact is that they are an integral part of the human life cycle. No one can actually deny the importance of periods or the monthly bleeding that most women have to go through.

Now, most people are aware of the fact that during the nine months of pregnancy a woman does not have her periods. This clearly means that during those days you will not have bleeding. However, this does not guarantee the fact that there will not be any vaginal bleeding whatsoever throughout the pregnancy.

Read about the situations given below and find out if you should be worried or not when there is bleeding or spotting during pregnancy.

1. If It Is Light Spotting
2. If It Is A Mucus With A Little Bit Of Blood
3. If There Is A Schedule And It Stops After Some Days
4. If It Is Very Heavy Bleeding
5. If It Is Accompanied By Intense Pain
6. If The Bleeding Continues For Days And Weeks At End
7. If You Suspect Placental Abruption

• If It Is Light Spotting

This type of bleeding is typically characterized by the fact that you do not realize that you are bleeding but you end up seeing spots on your panty later on. There is absolutely no discomfort involved. This type of vaginal bleeding is often seen in older women who are pregnant.

However, on a positive note, if there is no discomfort associated with the bleeding and there is not much of a blood loss, then there isn't much to worry about.

• If It Is A Mucus With A Little Bit Of Blood

As women, all of us are used to the concept of dealing with the discomfort of white discharge. Sometimes, when you are not pregnant, you may see a little reddish discharge coming out of your vagina instead of the usual white mucus. If such a thing happens even when you are pregnant, there is nothing to be worried about.

You can easily choose to neglect the same as this is a very common occurrence and 1 in every 3 women are seen to fall prey to it.

• If There Is A Schedule And It Stops After Some Days

In case you find yourself bleeding only during the morning hours (or any other definite time frame for that matter) and that too exclusively in the first trimester, then that is something that should not bother you. The spotting that you experience in the first month is often due to the fertilized egg implanting itself in the lining of the uterus.

This act usually happens in the first fortnight of pregnancy and is known as implanted bleeding. As per statistics, about 20% of pregnant women experience implantation bleeding and there is nothing worth worrying here. Implantation bleeding stops by the end of the first month of pregnancy.

However, having said all of that, there are times when spotting can be a sign of some unpleasant things. Gynaecologists believe that vaginal bleeding is one of the first signs of ectopic pregnancy wherein the fertilized egg does not implant itself in the uterus but rather opts for the fallopian tube. In the extreme cases, bleeding during pregnancy can also signify infection, preterm labour and even miscarriage.

• If It Is Very Heavy Bleeding

Every woman's body is different, but speaking generically, if you find yourself bleeding more than what you do during your menstrual cycle, then that is something that you must be alarmed about. If you find yourself using more than one pad every three or four hours, then you should keep your doctor informed about the same.

If you delay about the same, it may lead to the loss of a lot of blood and it may be difficult for you to make up for the same later.

• If It Is Accompanied By Intense Pain

It is blood and if it leaves your system there will be a certain degree of discomfort associated with the same. That is normal. However, if you feel that the pain is strong enough to hamper your day to day working and you feel the need to sit down all of a sudden or believe that a hot water bag would relieve the pain, then that is a cause for concern.

Thus, if the twinges of discomfort associated with the bleeding are strong, make sure that you head to the doctor's chamber at the earliest.

• If The Bleeding Continues For Days And Weeks At End

Generally speaking, if there is no pain and the bleeding is not very heavy in nature, then there is nothing to be worried about. However, if the same continues for a prolonged duration of time then there is indeed a cause of concern there. If you are pregnant and find yourself spotting for more than 5 days at a stretch, make sure that you notify your doctor of the same.

Many a time, it is seen that bleeding is a sign of some mishap and with timely diagnosis and treatment the same can be dealt with. Also, if you find that you have a fever of more than 100.4 degrees when you are bleeding, then you must realize that this is not a very good sign for you or your baby. Even if you do not run a temperature but find yourself having chills while bleeding, then this is something you must act upon as soon as possible in order to ensure optimum growth and health of your baby.

• If You Suspect Placental Abruption

Placental abruption is where the placenta detaches itself from the wall of the uterus during the pregnancy itself. As a result, blood pools between the uterus and the placenta putting the life of the mother and the baby at risk. One of the first ways of identifying this condition is through excessive blood oozing out of the vaginal area.

The same is usually accompanied by dizziness or fainting. If you suspect anything of this sort, make sure that you bring the same to the notice of your doctor. Remember, if it is identified correctly, placental abruption can be checked upon and the life of the mother and the baby can be saved.